Online Reporter
Remember Deketeke
Municipal Correspondent
Harare City Council is considering alternative trading space for traders operating at the Magaba Home Industry Complex following a fire at the facility yesterday, with authorities raising concerns about crowding and illegal electricity connections.
The council says it may have to explore options similar to the relocation of traders from the Glen View Area 8 Complex as it seeks to address safety concerns at Magaba, which has become heavily congested.
In February, hundreds of informal traders at the Magaba Complex in Mbare were left counting their losses after a massive inferno.
Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Stanley Gama said the issue of alternative space could be tabled for discussion. He added that the possibility of relocating traders was not yet a formal council position, but authorities were examining what could be done to address the challenges at the complex.
“I am sure it will be tabled for discussion so that we see what we can do because it is overpopulated. It is scary,” Mr Gama said.
“We are working on the best way forward. We are probably going to act the same way we did at Glen View Area 8 Complex, where we relocated traders to another place.”
The cause of the fire was still being investigated yesterday.
“What I know now is that there was a fire. We are not yet sure what caused it because investigations are still ongoing,” said Mr Gama. “But obviously, when the call came, we reacted quickly and managed to control the fire from spreading to other areas.”
He said the incident had highlighted some of the challenges associated with the current conditions at Magaba, particularly the high concentration of traders and illegal electricity connections.
“You know, Magaba is overpopulated. There are illegal electricity connections all over the place,” Mr Gama said.
Magaba is one of the capital’s major informal trading and manufacturing centres, with numerous small businesses operating from the complex.
The concentration of traders, coupled with unregulated electricity connections, has raised concerns over fire risks and the ability of emergency services to respond effectively when incidents occur.
